


Any Other Way

by Between_A_Dream



Series: The Taglarin Mythic BuffyVerse [5]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 08:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8438278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Between_A_Dream/pseuds/Between_A_Dream
Summary: Buffy and Xander do trust Tara, but how much do they really know about her? They decide to get some answers to their questions by taking her out to dinner.





	

Though they had started to become closer, especially since her family had come and left, Xander and Buffy still knew very little about Tara. They knew she loved Willow, and they knew she was extremely kind and friendly, and she was very reserved. And because of the encounter with her family they knew why.

She was a witch, potentially with great power, but she had yet to show it. She was a free spirit, and she had a firm belief in not greatly disturbing the way of the natural world. That was about the extent of knowledge they had on her. And they did trust her, but both wanted to know more about her. More about the person who was dating their best friend.  

This topic of conversation came up between the two friends often enough that eventually they decided they should arrange a place to meet with her and talk to her alone. It was determined that the best way to try to get to know a little more about the girl their red haired friend was so taken with, was to talk to her without Willow's presence there to influence her.

This posed as a slight challenge, because Tara seemed to always be right at the auburn haired Wiccan's side. Before the incident with her family, she seemed to be attached to Willow at the hip, and it wasn't as bad anymore, but it was still rare to see one without the other. Or at least, to see Tara without Willow. The other problem was actually finding a time slot available for the slayer herself. Between training, patrolling, and her schoolwork, she rarely had any time to herself, and what little she did she often spent it with Riley or, as of late, researching anything she could on Glory.

It was on a Friday evening that Buffy finally found a few hours of time off. She was quick to call Xander and let him know she was free, and he offered to invite Tara. He didn't know if the golden haired witch would show up if he told her the truth, and though he took his chances, he made sure to leave out as little information as possible, telling her only that he wanted to meet with her for dinner with Buffy, and not to inform Willow of the arrangement.

Just that small amount, however, especially after being instructed not to tell her lover, was enough to make Tara nervous. So nervous, in fact, that she contemplated not going at all. Being alone with her girlfriend's two best friends? That was a little scary in her opinion. Hell, it was terrifying. And though she no longer had anything to hide, she practiced conversations to bring up so she would not be the topic of interest.  When she arrived at the restaurant, she could see Buffy and Xander already at a table, both laughing, clearly in the middle of their own conversation.

The sight only made her more nervous. These people had known Willow for years. What if this was some test to see if she was good enough? Had they done this to Oz? We're there other people who Willow had dated and were rejected by her friends? She didn't have time to think about a worse possible scenario, because Xander's eyes landed on her and he smiled as he waved her over. Though his eyes were friendly, Tara nearly choked as she sat down and offered a weak smile.

 "Nice to see you Tara, we're glad you could make it," Buffy's voice was sweet, but the blonde across from her could tell they weren't there simply to chat.

"N-N-Nice to see you t-too," she stuttered roughly over her words, mentally kicking herself at how incoherent her voice came out.

"Hey, Tara, relax. We aren't here to grill you or anything," Xander chuckled and nudged her arm, which did calm her nerves, but only some.

"We just wanna talk. Get to know you a little. Because Willow is our best friend, and we kind of want to know more about the girl she's in love with," Buffy explained.

"I promise I would never hurt her! I would never do anything to her- she's a wonderful girl and I-" Tara spoke so fast that she didn't even stutter, but it was hard to understand her rant.

 "Hey hey hey, Tara calm down. We know you would never hurt her," Xander felt bad because of how nervous the Wiccan looked. Her eyes were wide with anxiety and she clutched her fingers tightly together in her lap. The mood necklace she always wore from Willow was bright orange with fear.

"Oh... O-Ok," Xander's words did nothing to reassure her.

"Listen, we just want you to talk about you. We trust you with Willow. We wanna trust you period. Just tell us about your life. It doesn't have to be all bad stuff like your family. Just talk to us. About your old friends, hobbies you have, passions, anything," Buffy smiled and rested her hand atop the Wiccan's, which did calm her down some.

"Ok, uh, w-well... Uh... Sorry I'm just... I'm not used to talking about myself," the blonde sighed. It was true- on the rare occasion that Tara did talk about herself it was usually to Willow, and it was normally only about small things. Never anything about her past, that was for sure.

 "So... I know you and Willow have a cat. Did you have any pets when you were younger?" Buffy started.

"Yeah, I had a dog and two cats," Tara smiled a little at the memory.

"Awe cute! I love dogs. Cats... Well I like them. They just don't seem to like me," Xander chuckled. Both women giggled a little as well.

"So what's your favorite song?" Xander then asked.

"Probably 'The Rose' by Bette Midler. It... It was my m-mother's favorite. She used to sing it to me when I was little," the necklace around Tara's neck slowly changed to black and Buffy was quick to notice, knowing from watching Willow conjure the necklace that black meant sadness.

The slayer decided that she would avoid questions about the Wiccan's mom. They always seemed to upset her. She wondered if she was still alive, or if she had just left. Whichever it was, Tara always spoke fondly of the woman, though always with sadness laced within.  After about half an hour of conversation, Buffy and Xander knew more than they expected.

Tara easily had opened up after a few questions, which was something neither of them anticipated, but both were grateful for. Her favorite color was blue, she had no favorite food but she hated seafood and was allergic to shrimp, she preferred cats to dogs, she loved classical music. Talking to Tara was surprisingly easy once she opened up.

It was beginning to become clear to both the slayer and her dark haired friend what Willow saw in her. The blonde Wiccan could go on about her interests for long intervals of time, passion sparking in her eyes as she did so. Talking about herself was not so successful, but hey, they would take what they could get.

Tara's love life was a sad but interesting one, despite any pre-decided conclusions either had come to previously. She had never been in a relationship with a boy, never even felt attraction to them. Being gay wasn't something she ever felt she needed to hide, but rather feeling affection for anyone in particular. Affection was not something she was used to as a child. Once her father found out about her own magic, he basically disowned her.

He had long ago lost the respect for her mother, and he often had stared at them with cold, emotionless eyes. Donny had tried to be supportive at first, as had Beth, but both were eventually brainwashed. Donny was first. Talking about the first day he started to change was hard for Tara. They had been playing outside, a simple game of hide and seek. Donny had gone inside to go to the bathroom. When he came back out, he told Tara she was disgusting and her magic would infect him and turn him into a demon.

Beth had changed later. She wasn't around as much as Donny- She hadn't lived with them until she was 11, when her parents had died in a tragic car accident. At first, despite the loss of her aunt and uncle, Tara was thrilled that Beth was moving in with her. She had only been 9 and she greatly admired her older cousin. But, Beth was a capricious child with a fickle mind, and it took less time than it had taken Donny once she moved in. Tara did not speak of her mother again.

She talked about her teenage years and her high school experience. She was shy, a teachers pet, but she had little to no friends. She had experienced crushes on a few girls who actually bothered to talk to her, but all had faded quickly. Her father was furious when she said she was going to college, especially when he found out it was in California. The rest, they knew.

She met Willow briefly in Wicca group, met her again when the gentleman came to town. She was introduced to Buffy when the body switching with Faith had occurred. The others met her shortly after. She and Willow continued practicing magic and became much closer than friends. Oz came back. Willow chose her. Her relatives came back. She stood up to them. And now, here they were.

The rest of the night passed easily. There were no more questions that either Xander nor Buffy decided to ask, not that they didn't have them. They'd found out plenty enough for the time being, and they weren't going to push her for any more information.

Tara gathered some of her own courage that night as well. She even asked some of her own questions, wanting to know about their lives with Willow, their lives as teenagers in high school, about first finding out about the slayer prophecy and evil and magic.

They talked as old friends with new beginnings. And by the time the night was over, everyone walked away with a different and better perspective of the others, and of themselves.

* * *

Tara smiled when she walked into her dorm room. It wasn't that she was shocked to see Willow there, more so pleasantly surprised.

"What are you doing here?" she chuckled and set her bag down on the floor. The red haired Wiccan was sitting cross legged on her bed, leaning back against the headboard with her nose buried in a book. She smiled when she saw the blonde.

"How did it go?" she asked excitedly, and for a moment Tara was confused.

"What do you mean? You... You knew?" Willow could only laugh.

"Honey, I know everything about these people. You all said you were busy, and I figured it wouldn't be long before they have you the whole 'We're her best friends and if you hurt her we'll kill you' speech kind of thing. So, once again, how did it go?" she giggled and Tara rolled her eyes playfully. She made herself comfortable before answering, laying back and resting her head in Willow's lap while the ginger Wiccan ran her fingers gently through her blonde locks.

"It went fine. Good. Really good, actually. It was... Easier than I expected. I can see why they're such good friends of yours," she smiled up at her lover.

"They're your friends too you know. I mean, they may not have known you as long and you guys may not know as much about each other as you'd like to, they do really care for you. You think Anya was instantly comfortable around me and Buffy? The first thing she thought when she saw Buffy was that she was a slut, and she still thinks I may steal Xander away from her," Willow laughed, though teasing not exactly kidding. Tara could only laugh with her.

"I'm glad I went. Really. They're pretty great," the blonde interlaced their fingers and pressed a gentle kiss against her girlfriend's skin. Willow could only smile back and nod.

"Yeah. They are. But you know? You're pretty great too. And I think that they see it too." Willow grinned and Tara nodded with a soft smile.

Buffy and Xander were her friends. They were not just the friends of her lover. They were her _friends_. They cared for her. Liked her. Loved her even, if she dared to go that far. They stood up for her against her father. They took her out just to get to know her better. They really cared, and Tara had to say, it felt so much better than she had ever pictured feeling loved. She was loved, truly loved, and she wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
